6.16.2011

Such is the power

Let the record show that, I, Molly Wizenberg, have, in this lifetime, made some ugly deviled eggs.

Maybe this picture is the better approach.

I seem to have come down with some sort of virus, the kind of thing that feels totally out of place in the month of June, that keeps you in your bathrobe, eating mostly toast and canned peaches, for the better part of five days. To be perfectly honest, I can’t say that I feel like eating a deviled egg right now. But I did manage to eat a bowl of cereal this morning, and that is a great improvement. I even felt well enough for a cup of coffee! Maybe, by the time you read this, I will be wearing something other than my bathrobe. It’s halfway over, but I intend to do this month right. I have a deviled egg quota to meet.

I’ve been meaning to post this recipe for a while, because every time I make it, someone asks for it. It’s one of those recipes. Most recently, I made it for Brandi’s birthday party, and that night, I think there were actually three people who asked for the recipe. THREE! That made me particularly happy, I remember, because I had gotten a slow start in cooking that evening and had felt anything but love for these eggs as I stood in the kitchen, peeling them over the sink, already late for the party and still unshowered. But such is the power of the deviled egg, that even after making me swear and pout and show up at a party with my hair looking like I’m in Van Halen, still, still, I want to make them again. (Of course, I do have a certain fondness for David Lee Roth.)

In any case, this recipe was inspired by a deviled egg served to me by Olaiya, so I can’t take credit for it. Three summers ago, she had just moved into a house with a terrific backyard, and she threw a barbecue. She made deviled eggs and salmon burgers and a giant tomato salad and corn on the cob, and our friend Ben had just moved to town, and it was a famous night. Afterward, I wrote about it here and posted the recipe for a basil aioli that we ate on almost everything. And I started working on recreating the deviled eggs: classic ones, creamy with mayonnaise and mustard and lemon, but with a very small spoonful of basil aioli on top and, balancing on top of that, a couple of crispy fried capers.

(Olaiya’s looked much nicer than mine do. Lest you should forget, there was a lot of swearing and hurrying going on.)

As a general category, I love deviled eggs. We even served them at our wedding. But of all deviled eggs, all types and all recipes, I think these are my favorite. The yolk filling is fairly standard, but when you add that basil aioli, which smells and tastes like June itself, this month that we have waited all stinking winter for, you get something entirely new. And with the briny crunch of capers, each one exploded in hot oil so that they look like strange, delicate flowers and dissolve on your tongue, yes, I really do think these are my favorite. Just be sure to buy your eggs a week or two ahead of time, because old eggs usually peel more easily than fresh ones. Actually, you know, if you buy now, you’ll be all set for the Fourth of July.

Deviled Eggs with Basil Aioli and CapersInspired by Olaiya Land

The multiple steps in this recipe can feel daunting, but it’s actually pretty quick to make. I usually make the aioli while the eggs are cooking, and while they cool, I fry the capers. And if you’re feeling really short on time, just skip the frying and use drained, rinsed capers. No sweat.

Hard-boil the eggs. I'm sure you have a favorite way to boil yours, but just in case, here's mine. Put them in a large pot, so that they can sit in a single layer. (That’s important.) Add cold water to cover by an inch or two, and place the pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil; then immediately cover the pot and remove it from the heat. Let sit exactly 12 minutes. Drain and rinse well with cold water.

Warm the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot and runs easily around the pan, add the capers. They should sizzle. Fry, shaking the skillet occasionally, until they split open and start to crisp, about 3 minutes. They should not brown. Fish them out of the skillet, leaving the oil behind, and drain them on a paper towel.

When the eggs are fully cool, cut them in half crosswise. (I think this looks prettier - and is easier to eat - than cutting them in half lengthwise.) Carefully remove the yolks and put them in a medium bowl. Trim a tiny sliver off the rounded end of the whites, so that they will sit upright when you serve them; then set them aside. Using a fork, mash the crap out of the yolks. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, and salt. Mash and mix until smooth. Taste, and adjust as necessary.

Just before serving, spoon the filling into a pastry bag, and pipe the filling into the egg white halves. If you don’t have a pastry bag, spoon the filling instead. Top the filled eggs with a small dollop of basil aioli. (You will have aioli left over.) Finish with a few fried capers.

Yield: 24 deviled eggs

***

Shortcut Basil Aioli

Homemade mayonnaise is terrific, but if I’m making deviled eggs, it’s usually summer, which means that it’s hot outside and I want to limit my exertion in the kitchen. So I generally use Best Foods – also sold as Hellmann’s – mayonnaise for this recipe.

A note on the first step: when I make this aioli, the basil mixture sometimes gets wonderfully smooth, like pesto. Other times, though, it doesn’t seem to want to get that smooth, and instead looks more like a mess of chopped basil. I’m not sure what goes wrong, but I think it has to do with the age and texture of the basil leaves: when they’re bigger and hardier, they don’t process as easily. Either way, though, the aioli will taste fine.

In the jar of a blender (or a small food processor), combine the olive oil, basil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Process until the mixture is smooth, pausing every now and then to scrape down the side of the blender jar with a small spatula or spoon.

Put the mayonnaise in a small bowl. Add the basil mixture, and stir well to mix.

Serve as a dip for raw vegetables, spread onto sandwiches, folded into chicken salad, or dolloped on top of deviled eggs.

My goodness Molly - another simply breathtaking little ditty. You make deviled eggs classy. I can't wait to test them and find yet another reason to whip up some aioli. Basil is just around the corner with warmer weather being promised and farm fresh eggs with bright yolks - swooning...

How timely a post this is. I've been looking for a deviled egg recipe that I can trust. We have 4 hens that lay the most beautiful eggs and we are always looking for something eggy to make. Oddly, I use the word "eggy" to describe the rooster's part in all of this, i.e. "Tiny got eggy with Lupe behind the coop this morning."

Nancy, I'll bet that would be delicious. Can't imagine that it wouldn't be! I do like what the dollop on top does, though. It's nice to be able to taste the aioli separate from the yolk mixture, and the aioli makes the whole mouthful very creamy, which is nice, too.

Molly, I love your blog. I'm a long time reader but have never left a comment before. Deviled eggs are fabulous (in general) and I will absolutely be putting capers on all of mine now! I'm looking forward to trying the aioli too!

A tip to make peeling the eggs easier -even very fresh eggs: Add a few dashes of salt to the water you boil them in. It makes the shells harder and more brittle and as a result, easier to peel.

I have a hard-boiled egg question. I use your same method, Molly, but recently, I've been noticing that when I pour cold water over the eggs after they've been cooked to cool them down, they're giving off a pretty intense sulfurous smell. Anyone else notice this? Anyone have a trick to get the perfect eggs without the smell?

Oh my gosh, I've got an unseasonably bummer of a June sickness too! What is up with that??But onto the actual recipe, holy lord yuuumm. I'm a sucker for aioli (although I fairly recently learned the term) and the basil addition is so smart. Way to make a devilishly (har har) delicious hors d'oeuvre even better.

Deviled eggs always remind me of my grandma. She'd make them as part of a lunch platter with English Salad Cream, sturdy brown bread carrot stick and hunks of cheese that was as hard as elastic. Unsurprisingly, these ones seem much sexier. Hope you perk up soon.

I'm headed back to the US in a mere week (!) for my first American summer in four years (!!!). I'll mainly be on the East Coast to celebrate my brother's wedding, but the beauty of a July 3 wedding is all of the easy Fourth of July picnics surrounding it. I've been a-schemin' and a-thinkin' about what to take to some of those, including a famous family lobster boil at my eccentric uncle's house. I do believe these will fit the bill! And to echo everyone's sentiments, feel better soon - there are summer picnics to be had!

What fantastic timing! I just saw another deviled egg with caper recipe and was very wary to try it. To be honest, I have never cooked with capers before. However, your food always turns out fantastic, so I think I am going to give it a go. I can't pass up the basil aoili...wow sounds amazing.

I've just recently gotten back into eating eggs and being able to stomach them. I had one sunny side up yesterday with paprika, and was contemplating the logial next step -- deviled. And that basil ailoi -- that sounds so perfect. We just got some basil from our CSA, so I know I'll be making that soon!

I too have been making deviled eggs lately, but I don't know that I can do it again b/c the peeling of the eggs is so time-consuming and frustrating (especially when husband helps and breaks most of them..)! Maybe this will bring me out of my anti-deviled eggs funk b/c it does sound yummy. Feel better!

I love deviled eggs! I was so desperate for them that last weekend I bought some at the grocery store (impulse buy). They weren't terrible, but certainly they were nothing to brag about. This will be a lovely way to use some of the basil that has been slowly (but happily) taking over the garden since last summer.

Oh, and throw capers on anything and I will eat it. I love those little briny gems. Happy weekend, Molly. Hope you're feeling much better!

Oh, illness in the summertime just feels wrong! I had some kind of strange sickness last week that involved swollen lymph nodes and general weariness, and it was awful. I commiserate with you. I hope you're sandal-footed and picnicking soon.

And cheers to unphotogenic food! It totally happens.

(I'm not sure I've ever commented here before, but I have long been a Very Big Fan of yours. Thanks for so many lovely recipes and stories.)

LOVE deviled eggs, and they always look ugly, but are there ever any left after a party? I made a huge bunch of deviled quails eggs for easter, topped with caviar. what a pain in the neck were those to peel?! but lord have mercy, they were cute, and disappeared as soon as I put them out.

OK, this isn't about deviled eggs, but I had to thank you for the recipe for Burg's potato salad in your book. I made it Wednesday night and we had it for dinner last night with some grilled wild salmon, and it was just so fabulous.

Oh Molly, I hope you feel better soon.....The deviled eggs should help.So enamored of the little buggers are we in our home that Susan, who works at Random House, will often go downstairs to the cafeteria for lunch, buy 2 hardboiled eggs, and bring them back upstairs with tiny cafeteria packets of Hellman's mayo, mustard, and hot sauce. Right there, in her office, surrounded by stacks of manuscripts, she takes out her little bowl, mixes the yolks together with with the mustard and mayo and hot sauce, pops everything back into the egg whites, and voila, she has herself some deviled eggs.Mighty powerful stuff.

I hope you come out of your June blues--hopefully this time in your bathrobe has allowed you to remain confined to your home and write write write the next book! I bought a pool membership this year and brought your book along to re-read while I do some sunbathing. It is an old-faithful by now and I look forward to the next.

Wow, deviled eggs, this brings back memories. I never have developed a taste for them, but everyone in my family just adores them. My Dad makes them on special occasions, and I think he sprinkles paprika -- or something paprika-colored anyway -- on them. They get devoured instantly, which I just do not understand.

I always thought of them as a Southern staple, and having grown up with them at all the family functions, I never really considered that they could be elegant!

I'm glad I'm not the only one coming down with a vicious, untimely virus (although I'm sorry it hit you, too).

Summer illnesses are the worst ... but devilled eggs are the best.

Also, on the subject of July 4, I have taken the unspoken macaroni & cheese challenge that you and Matthew offered up a couple months back on the podcast, so I will be posting my no-nasty-cheese-grease recipe in time for holiday barbeque planning :)

Firstly, thanks for the Van Halen link - you totally took me back there!! I'm glad to know you're feeling better, I love your posts. Secondly, the eggs look so delicious, I will be making them for my family (that is, after I watch the Van Halen video on YouTube once again!). Stay well!!

I have to admit, I'm intrigued by the caper addition. Wondering why it's taken me so long to have this revelation. And since I've been adding them to potato salad by the handful — yum! — I'm thinking I'll extend this roll right over into the egg department.

I started reading this post thinking I wasn't going to learn anything new, and then boom-- fried capers! I make a deviled egg recipe with tuna in the filling that also gets lots of requests (also garnished by capers)... I think I'll be taking it to the next level next time I make them.

dear molly,as a longtime reader i have to say the title for this entry couldn't be more appropriate--your posts always leave me itching to get into the kitchen and make whatever you've talked about ASAP. such is the power of your writing! i don't normally crave or even like deviled eggs, but the promise of basil aioli is making me salivate for them right at this moment. there's a basil plant on my porch with the tiniest leaves still left, and i know just what to do with them tomorrow afternoon. thanks!!

I have been spending my week very much like you've been spending yours. I've come to decide that there's nothing right about having a cold during the summer. (or having a cold with two little ones to watch over, but that's a different story for a different day)I also happen to have three dozen local eggs in my fridge beggind to be used. Think I know what I'll try. :)

Just last weekend I made devilled eggs for an afternoon tea-themed baby shower. I did them with the flavours you would see in bernaise sauce - white wine vinegar and finely diced shallots reduced down, fresh tarragon, and lemon zest, all mashed into the yolks. Turned out very nicely - I would definitely make them again.

Side note - there's a restaurant here that does a beautiful beef carpaccio topped with fried capers. Love 'em!

I make the ugliest deviled eggs that always get eaten but they are - you know - standard. My basil is on steroids and will not wait for the tomatoes to ripen so will whip up this basil aioli and put it on everything - even a grilled chicken sandwich!

Perfect timing! I am making deviled eggs this week for my son's 8th grade graduation. I recently discovered fried capers and am always looking for more dishes to use them in. Hope you are feeling better!

I love deviled eggs and like to try every recipes for them I come across. This one will definitely happen soon. Sometimes when I'm in a hurry, I just douse the mashed yolks with green olive juice, half the mayo I'd normally use, and presto... done! It's a quick fix and surprising tasty for how easy it is. I also love fresh cracked pepper on top. Basil aoli sounds awesome... I'll try that next!

Our dinner parties in the Annapolis Valley are usually potlucks (so much more do-able for the host) and I've noticed something. If you bring devilled eggs, not only will your car smell a little funny, but they will be the first thing to disappear (this is also true for meatballs).

Anna Thomas has an amazing epic recipe for stuffed eggs that involves carefully chipping the shells of boiled eggs all around, removing the egg from the shell, chopping it, combining that with butter and parsley, stuffing this back into the shells, and then frying them upside down in butter. Phewf.

They ARE rather beautiful in a rustic, simple kind of way. And that's what I like best.

The eggs look amazing! Hope you're feeling better by now. I've got a sure fire way to peel even the freshest of eggs. It's from Paula Deen, salt the water, not a few dashes, but a LOT. If you make it salty as seawater, they peel perfect, with no flat spot from the air pocket that grows inside the shell, as they age. It also salts the egg itself, which only makes it better. :D So far, this method hasn't let me down. Now, to go fry some capers.

Mmm, deviled eggs definitely hold a special plate in my heart! I don't know why you're so hard on yourself with these pictures: the plating is great, though I suppose you can liven it up with some paprika!

I love love love deviled eggs and will definitely be trying these soon. But....i really wanted to tell you that a friend and I were in Seattle for a wedding this past weekend, so Sunday night was earmarked for pizza at Delancey! We had vacon and onion, and it was amazing!! Soooooo good. We had a jersey salad first and took a rhubarb dessert back to the hotel for later..... Had wonderful service too. Thanks!

Inspired by this recipe I made deviled duck eggs on the weekend. I skipped the aioli (as I was lacking in basil and duck eggs are already soooo rich), included sriracha and cilantro in the yolk mixture, then topped with toasted sesame seeds and the fried capers, which i have to say are slightly addictive. Delicious. Thanks, Molly!

Sounds great, Molly. I have to admit I haven't been making deviled eggs as I feel as though they are not in style. These, however, have proven me wrong. Thanks so much for the recipe. I hope I get to make a trip up to Washington and eat at your restaurant! Great job on all of this!

i am obsessed with this basil aioli. super easy and so delicious. one of the restaurants i worked at in college used to serve grilled artichokes with a similar aioli. they also served cheese stuffed (fried) artichoke hearts with the same aioli. i have had a hankering for those dishes lately, and tried to remake that aioli to no avail... so you can imagine my pleasant surprise when i tasted this aioli and it transplanted me right back to that restaurant.

don't get me wrong, the deviled eggs turned out awesome, and my boyfriend declared them the best he'd ever had. but for me, the aioli belongs in the spotlight. so excited to grill some artichokes and make it again!

Just curious what you think about substituting the mayo with yogurt for the deviled eggs. I know if your eating anything named "Deviled" whatever that calories shouldn't be a concern. You have a great blog.

What the heck? I just caught up on some blog reading after being down and out last week with the most rotten of summer viruses. I don't know what's going around but it's nasty. I'm glad you could handle eggs. No way that I could have. Now that I'm on the mend I'm going to try these. Although the strawberry shortcake sounds even sweeter.

I read most of the posts, and didn't notice anyone suggesting THIS METHOD OF PEELING EGGS, so thought I'd share. I'm NOT patient enough, and too picky, to appreciate the pock-marked typical outcome of egg peeling. I happened upon this method a while back, and am IN LOOVE!

1. After chilling the eggs enough to handle, tap them lightly, just enough to crack the shell. 2. Crack the shell around the entire egg, in the center - you should have one "line" of cracks around the thickest part of the egg. 3. Insert the tip of a spoon into the crack, so that the shape of the egg nestles into the bowl of the spoon. 4. Use the spoon to lift and remove the shell. It - the shell - should come off in 2-4 pieces. 5. Voila! A sleek quickly peeled egg, begging to be included in all sorts of fabulous dishes.

I love all the comments and tips! I use a sieve to press the yolks through- it makes the yolk mixture, when done, perfectly smooth like think whipped cream for a pretty presentation. I have also boiled chopped beets in vinegared water and soaked the peeled hard boiled eggs for a few hours- up to overnight covered in the pink beet juice. When you slice them open, the beet juice stains the egg whites, and depending on how long you soak them- it creeps into the whites. It just takes a little planning ahead, and the outcome is gorgeous, and it does not affect the flavor of the egg whites.

Amazing recipe. I have never made Deviled Eggs any other way than the "usual", these were wonderful! I probably used less of the yolk filling, because of the addition of the basil aioli.. I am a bit weird about texture, it worked very well. Didn't fry the capers (got lazy) but drained and dried them off enough to not add any more moisture. Used more basil than I should have.. Didn't measure correctly.. But it didn't hurt. Hah!! This recipe is so wonderful because it doesn't HAVE to be exact. It's not the portions that make the egg, it's the initial idea to mix these flavors together! Thank you so much for posting!!!

Had some issues with the hard boiled eggs..figured out that adding salt to the water, and using eggs a week or two old, yields the best peeling experience, had to make them twice, oopsy! :-P

Check out the photo, if the link doesn't work, just copy and paste to your search bar ... www.instagr.am/p/drhKl